You visit Alta Vista, Google or even Copernic, do a search and get 60,000 matches. Sites 1-20 are shown on your screen. Even when you narrow down your search criteria, you're still not getting what you're looking for. Feel like you're wasting your time? Wondering if there are more effective ways to search the Net? Yes there are.

In the first part of this article we had a look at using search engines or web crawlers and noted that these can provide effective ways of locating information on the Web. Yet we also learned that these automated indexing systems have a limited ability to keep track of document locations and that search engines are unable to access the Deep Web. In addition, automated search engines often fall prey to tricks employed by content developers, such as placing popular hidden keywords (meta tags) into their documents in order to fool the web crawler into placing irrelevant content higher on the 'results' list. In view of this let's look at some other, possibly more powerful strategies to locate the information we're seeking.

Directories
Directories are popular destinations on the Web that perform tasks similar to those performed by search engines. In a nutshell, they allow us to locate information on the World Wide Web. But directories differ from search engines in that they are created and maintained by people.

Directories such as Yahoo, LookSmart and Google employ scores of trained librarians who maintain the lists by looking at each new site submission and making sure that the domain is genuine. No individual pages are indexed. In most cases lists point directly to the home page of a domain, thereby avoiding broken links. Directories are divided into thousands of hierarchies, similar to those used in library indexing systems, and allow you to search wide and narrow it down.

It is worth noting that because of its reliability, accuracy and ease of use the Yahoo! directory is still the most visited place on the Web. If you're looking for a particular product, organisation or established topic/subject area as you would in a library, directories are the best places to visit.

Find a Human Expert
To unleash the true power of the Web it's best stop thinking of the medium as a huge, dumb document library that has a magic index somewhere. Instead we should think of the Web as a place where people interact. When search engines and directories fail it's time to find an expert in the field. For example if you're looking for information on some highly specialised area of entomology, a real entomologist is much more likely to provide you with information (or at least be able to point to required resource) than a search engine ever could. So where to find your expert?

Newsgroups
Usenet (or Newsgroups) is arguably the biggest compilation of answers and opinions on the Net. Going back to the Internet days before the Web, Usenet is a massive collection of text-based public discussion groups sorted into hierarchies. The original purpose of Usenet was to provide a vehicle that allowed discourse between academics, although the range of topics is now much wider. Presently there are in excess of 60 000 such groups. They are based on every conceivable human interest and pursuit. But before you start posting your query to a newgroup, stop for a minute. It is quite likely that the question you're asking has been asked before. It is therefore a good idea to read the FAQs and search the archives first. If you don't you may get 'flamed' (told off)! Usenet was traditionally accessed through a dedicated newsreader program. Recently however Google has launched Web access to a large part of Usenet and archives, opening up this valuable resource to those of us who are more at home with a Web browser.

Web-based Communities
Another good way to locate experts is to find an online community that has been formed around a particular topic or pursuit. Online communities are instantly recognisable by their large percentage of user-generated content. The LearnScope VLC is just such a community. Its target audience is the Australian VET sector and stakeholders who have a particular interest in flexible delivery and e-learning. It offers both resources and access to experts in a variety of related fields. Web based communities exist for virtually any subject area, though it can take some detective work to find them. Once again word of mouth is your best bet. A good starting point might be The Well, one of the oldest and renowned online communities. It provides comprehensive access to famous authors, artists and scientists. In an online community, a quick way to get answers from an expert is to register and participate in the community's message board/forum.

Peer-to-peer Networks
Considerable opportunities to gain access to experts also exist within peer-to-peer networks such as ICQ, Yahoo and Microsoft Messenger and their associated communities. These networks usually offer searchable directories via their client software where special interest groups can be found. While these networks often appear to be catering for populist interests, don't be fooled by first impressions; take-up by serious users has grown considerably over recent times. One last thing, to use these networks it is absolutely essential that your computer is not firewalled.

Commercial Web Sites
You may frown at this suggestion but yes, sites that carry banner advertisements and sell products frequently do offer access to valuable resources and experts. If you're sceptical, try reading the product reviews at amazon.com or the reviews at the famous Internet Movie Database website. And it's not always biased positively toward the commercial product that is being sold at the site. If you're searching for information related to technology in particular, there are many opportunities to latch onto leading experts via discussion and support forums and direct e-mail. Give it a try!

The .org and .edu domains
Finally, pay particular attention to sites whose address ends in the '.org' extension as you search for your information. By law Org Domains cannot be registered as a web site unless they are operated by a registered organisation. Public organisations often hold the latest, unbiased information and are operated by leading experts who can be contacted from such sites. The same applies to sites with an .edu domain. Only registered educational institutions can operate such a domain.


Resources

Web Crawlers:
www.altavista.com
www.copernic.com
www.google.com

Directories:
www.yahoo.com
www.looksmart.com

Communities:
www.thewell.com

Commercial Sites:
www.amazon.com
www.imdb.com
www.abc.net.au/science

Peer-to-peer:
www.icq.com
http://messenger.yahoo.com
http://community.ninemsn.com.au